American Airlines currently offers service between the two, but more flights provide leisure travelers and corporations more options to travel between PHL and DUB.

Ireland is one of the largest investor countries in Pennsylvania; Irish companies have 232 locations in the state, providing nearly 14,000 jobs, according to data by the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED).

Ireland ranks ninth for the total number of firms and the seventh for the total number of jobs in Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia area has a large piece of that pie.

Seven of the top 10 Irish-owned companies in Pennsylvania have headquarters in the region, including Towers Watson Pennsylvania Inc., which provides 2,000 jobs, and Endo Health Solutions, which has about 385 jobs in its Malvern headquarters, according to the DCED.

Almac Group Inc., based in Craigavon in Northern Ireland, has its U.S. headquarters in Souderton, Montgomery County. The company late last year announced a $24.4 million expansion that would add 312 new jobs to the region.

More direct flights make the Philadelphia area more competitive for Ireland- and other European-based companies.

“If you have more opportunities, it makes it that much more attractive,” said William J. McLaughlin, who in 1999 founded the 500-member Irish American Business Chamber & Network.

“There’s probably almost as many people working in the U.S. for Irish companies as there are Irish companies working for American companies. That continues to grow,” said McLaughlin, who is also of McLaughlin & Morgan, a firm that assists American companies entering the European market through Ireland and Irish companies entering the U.S. market.

Aside from taking American Airlines to fly direct from PHL to DUB, other options area residents had to Ireland were through Newark Liberty International Airport in North Jersey or JFK International Airport in New York.

“It’s not the easiest thing to do; it adds to your travel,” said McLaughlin, who said he’s worked with companies that want to plant roots in areas close to airports that offer direct flights.

“If you’re traveling a lot, you want to make your travel as easy as possible,” he said. “The more opportunities for flights going back and forth to Ireland, the better it is for the growth of the Philadelphia region.”

Among Ireland’s largest industries are life science, technology startups and food and beverage — all major industries in Philadelphia.

This “aligns well with Philadelphia’s position as the obvious choice for European companies looking to test the U.S. market,” said Siobhan Lyons, president and CEO of Citizen Diplomacy International, a Philadelphia-based international relations organization.

“Combine Philadelphia’s already attractive business proposition with a pro-immigration, an Irish-American mayor and a welcoming Irish and international business community, more direct flights to Philadelphia can only make us more attractive,” Lyons added.